It seems that not everyone in the Democratic Republic of Congo — arguably the world’s poorest country with an average income per person of less than 40 cents per day — is desperately poor. A BBC News item reveals that some people are making big money at the moment. The two big sources of income are mining activities and the United Nations, through their current peacekeeping operations in the country.
The DRC is the main source of coltan, a metallic ore from which niobium and tantalum are extracted, with the tantalum being used to produce capacitors for use in electronic devices . Although only a small percentage of the world’s tantalum comes from the DRC, it is still enough to provide substantial revenues to the various rebel groups which fund their activities through mining operations, and a number of unscrupulous middlemen have become extremely wealthy.
The UN peacekeeping operation in Congo has become the most expensive peacekeeping operation in the world. The owners of large houses can charge the UN very high rental rates, and a substantial income can be gained through providing services to UN officials and aid workers. The UN is now feeding Congolese soldiers, because that is the only way to stop them stealing from their own people. The DRC is a failed state, and there is no agreed strategy for fixing it.